Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

London Underground: Disability

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with Transport for London on improving access to the London underground for disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Transport in London is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport have regular meetings with TfL to discuss various issues, including accessibility. This year (2016/17) the Department for Transport’s grant for TfL amounts to around £1.4 billion. The grant will help TfL to enhance its network, including making improvements for disabled passengers.

Pedestrian Areas: Accidents

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission research into improving pedestrian safety on pavements and to determine whether accidents occur more often on tarmacadam or on concrete slab surfaces; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has no current plans to commission research into the issue of pedestrian’s safety on footways or to ascertain whether accidents occur more often on tarmacadam or on concrete slab surfaces. Guidance is already available to highway authorities in respect to providing good and safe surfaces for pedestrians. The Department for Transport Manual for Streets - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341513/pdfmanforstreets.pdf - also provides advice on footways and advises that surfaces used by pedestrians need to be smooth and free from trip hazards. It is ultimately for each highway authority to decide on what materials they use for ensuring the best footway surface for the area for which they are responsible.

Cycling and Walking

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what processes his Department plans to follow to determine the sums to be allocated from Local Growth Funding for the period from 2017-18 to 2020-21 in response to proposals for cycling and walking projects submitted before 22 July 2016 by local enterprise partnerships.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Communities Secretary wrote to all Local Enterprise Partnerships in April setting out the criteria by which awards would be made from the Local Growth Fund. Local Enterprise Partnerships have been invited to submit proposals by 28 July. Awards will be made on a competitive basis, considering which proposals, which may include cycling and walking projects, most effectively drive effective local economic growth, show strong governance and provide value for public funding.

Cycling and Walking

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish its cycling and walking investment strategy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The draft Strategy was consulted upon between 27 March and 23 May 2016, and the Department is currently analysing responses. We hope to publish the final Strategy once all considerations have been taken into account.

Public Transport: Disability

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish his accessibility action plan for public transport.

Andrew Jones: We expect to publish a new Accessibility Action Plan for consultation in late summer. We will publish the final plan when we have taken account of all the consultation responses received.

Driving Tests

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what reports his Department has received on differences between actual and published driving test waiting times in the last 12 months.

Andrew Jones: The Department receives regular updates from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on waiting times for practical driving tests. An important starting point is to recognise that the way the DVSA measure and report on waiting times is not as clear as it may seem to be. The official waiting time is based on more than 10% of test slots being available in an individual test centre. Whilst this approach is useful for planning it does not reflect the situation centre-by-centre across the country nor the availability of the one slot any candidate requires in order to take their test. If DVSA were to report on, for example, the average waiting time for the next available slot the waiting time would be on average, only 7.6 weeks.

Driving Tests

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to reduce driving test waiting times in the last 12 months; and what data the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has collected to assess the effectiveness of such steps.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has taken a number of steps to reduce driving test waiting times in the last 12 months. These include: recruiting additional driving examiners. Last year, there were 193 new examiners who started work at various test centres across the country. This year DVSA has recruited another 48 examiners and made employment offers to another 110 people. Launching an initiative to offer additional hours to examiners over the summer months, including weekends and bank holidays. So far, a quarter of driving examiners have signed up to take part in this initiative to help bring waiting times down further. We recognise that more work needs to be done to drive down waiting times and we are investigating all avenues to do so.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the provision of bus services serving Sabden in Lancashire; and what steps his Department is taking to protect bus services serving rural communities.

Andrew Jones: The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. However, my Department provides around £40m of Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) directly to English local authorities for local bus services, of which Lancashire receives almost £1.9 million. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas by helping extend the bus network, providing residents with vital links to local services.

Transport for London: Telephone Services

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work his Department has conducted with Transport for London on the Sarah Hope Line.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Britain has some of the world’s lowest road casualty rates. But, in line with our Manifesto commitment, we are determined to do more to make our roads even safer. The British Road Safety Statement, published on 21 December 2015, sets out the government’s priorities for action, including practical measures to help vulnerable groups stay safe on our roads, extra money to crackdown on drug drivers and tougher penalties for people using mobile phones while driving. In addition, whilst the Department for Transport has not conducted specific work with TfL on the Sarah Hope telephone line, the government does provide funding, via the Ministry of Justice, for support services for victims of road traffic collisions, including a national helpline and information packs.

Driving Tests

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the driving test waiting times published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Andrew Jones: The official waiting time is based on more than 10% of test slots being available in an individual test centre. Whilst this approach is useful for planning it does not reflect the situation centre-by-centre across the country nor the availability of the one slot any candidate requires in order to take their test. If DVSA were to report on, for example, the average waiting time for the next available test slot, the waiting time would be shorter. The official measure currently shows a waiting time of more than 12 weeks; however, the next available test slot is, on average, only 7.6 weeks.

Railway Stations: Ribble Valley

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the viability of reopening Chatburn railway station in the Ribble Valley.

Andrew Jones: In line with our localism agenda, it would be for the local authority to consider whether a local rail scheme such as re-opening Chatburn station was a priority for them.

Cycling and Public Transport

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage the level of (a) public transport use and (b) cycling in (i) Northern Ireland and (b) other constituent parts of the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: UK Government projects such as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the recently announced Access Fund and the Cycling, Walking Investment Strategy demonstrate the government’s commitment to supporting sustainable travel initiatives which support local economies, boost economic growth and cut carbon emissions. The Devolution settlements provide the funding and the powers to enable the respective governments to decide on appropriate infrastructure investment in their administrations.

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on proposals to reduce air passenger duty on short to medium haul flights.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No such discussions have taken place. Decisions on taxation, including Air Passenger Duty, are of course a matter for HM Treasury.

Large Goods Vehicles: Camden

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to substantially reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles on the roads around Euston; and if he will make it his policy to encourage the use of rail to transport excavated and construction materials in that area during the development of High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As set out in Information Paper E13 (Management of Traffic during Construction), HS2 Ltd has a policy of using rail to transport bulk excavated material over long distances, wherever reasonably practicable. In addition, the Secretary of State has provided an assurance to the London Borough of Camden and Transport for London to seek to maximise, as far as reasonably practicable, the movement of material by rail at Euston. A detailed study has been undertaken to explore how this could be achieved, which has highlighted a number of technical options which are currently being assessed with respect to the impact on passengers, the environmental and socio-economic impacts and impacts on the HS2 programme. An initial decision on how to proceed will be made following the completion of this assessment.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mr Mark Francois: Public procurement policy is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office through the Crown Commercial Service.The Department's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

Council Housing: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities on the definition of higher value for the purposes of sales of higher value council homes under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Brandon Lewis: There has been extensive engagement with local authorities about the policy on higher value vacant local authority housing, which has included discussion about the definition of higher value. All local authorities that hold a Housing Revenue Account have been invited to at least one of the following events:- a ministerial meeting with local authority members and officers;- a local authority Chief Executive discussion with the Permanent Secretary;- a round table discussion between officials of local authorities and DCLG.Additionally, a working group comprising local authorities and other stakeholders has provided technical advice on the policy.

Housing: Construction

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance he provides to local councils to help them secure faster build-out rates from new developments.

Brandon Lewis: The National Planning Policy Framework clearly sets out that local authorities should work proactively with developers to secure developments that improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of their areas. We are taking forward measures to speed up the process of discharging planning conditions, which will help ensure work starts on site quickly once planning permission has been granted. In addition, in their statement on 11 May 2016, the House Builder’s Federation announced steps they would take to improve transparency about build out and help inform both plan making and planning decisions.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of housing association tenants who will take up the option of right-to-buy in each year until 2019-20.

Brandon Lewis: Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million tenants.More details will be announced in due course.

Council Housing: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the first sale of higher value council housing allowed by the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to take place.

Brandon Lewis: Under the Housing and Planning Act, local authorities have a duty to consider selling vacant higher value housing. Local authorities will know which homes will be defined as higher value, and therefore which homes they have a duty to consider selling, once Parliament has scrutinised and approved the regulations, including the higher value regulations which are subject to affirmative resolution.

Social Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what methodology he plans to use to determine the market rents of social housing properties for the purposes of the pay to stay policy.

Brandon Lewis: The Government believes that it is only fair that tenants who benefit from low social rents, but who are on higher incomes and can afford it, should contribute more. For those council housing tenants who are subject to the policy, the majority will not face a full market rent, but will instead pay a higher rent on a graduated basis using an income taper (set at 15% of income above the threshold). In those cases where a full market rent is payable, it is for the local authority to decide on a methodology for determining market rent appropriate to their particular area. My Department will be supporting them through this process with advice and guidance.

Council Housing: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish secondary legislation on the sale of higher value council homes under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Brandon Lewis: There are a number of steps that need to be taken before the Government publishes the regulations. The regulations defining higher value will be subject to the affirmative procedure and so, once finalised, they will be published and laid before Parliament before being considered by the relevant committees and debated in both Houses.

Affordable Housing: Ipswich

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons he has not allowed Ipswich Council's recent proposal for the Ravenswood affordable housing development.

Brandon Lewis: The full reasons are set out in the Secretary of State’s decision letter on this case, which can be found on the Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/called-in-decision-areas-u-v-and-w-ravenswood-nacton-road-ipswich-suffolk-ref-3004099-13-june-2016

Council Housing: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities will be affected by the sale of higher value council homes under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The requirement to make a payment in respect of higher value vacant housing and to consider selling such housing applies to local authorities with a Housing Revenue Account. The scheme will therefore affect any such authorities who hold housing which falls within the definition of "higher value". That definition will be set out in regulations which are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. In addition Government has the power to exclude types of housing from the policy through regulations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK Suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 February 2016 to Question 24771, what further assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Final Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have considered the information presented in the UN report. We note that Non-Governmental Organisations and other bodies, including the UN, do not have access to the same type of information on which to base their conclusions as is available to the Government. In particular we are able to call upon UK and other government sources, including a number of liaison officers in Saudi Headquarters. The UK has supported, and continues to support, the work of the Panels of Experts commissioned by the UN, but we do not always agree with their conclusions.

Israel: Prisons

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the recommendations of the UN Committee against Torture Review of Israel, adopted on 12 May 2016 by that Committee, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on transferring responsibility for prisoner healthcare to that country's Ministry of Health.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have not made any respresentations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

Eteraf Al-Rimawi

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Israel on the (a) immediate release or (b) prompt charge and fair trial of Eteraf Al-Rimawi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Whilst we have not made any representations on this specific detention, our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises concerns about detention, including Israel's extensive use of administrative detention. These concerns were raised with the Israeli authorities most recently on 27 June. Administrative detention should, according to international law, be used only when security makes it absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventative rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, and either charge or release detainees.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Metals: Research

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote and (b) co-ordinate research into the (i) use and (ii) manufacture of (A) steel, (B) glass, (C) plastics, (D) aluminium, (E) titanium and (F) other alloys.

Joseph Johnson: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK oversee coordination and promotion of research in these and other areas.The White Paper, ‘Success as a Knowledge Economy,’ set out the Government’s plans to create UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI will ensure our research and innovation system is sufficiently integrated, strategic and agile to meet current and future challenges and deliver national capability that drives discovery and growth.EPSRC has a portfolio of over £450m of materials-related research covering the breadth of materials (including the metals/alloys identified, glass and plastics), from fundamental physics to the re-use and remanufacture of advanced new alloys and other materials.Innovate UK’s Delivery Plan for 2016/17 sets out support through its Manufacturing and Materials Directorate which includes a twice-yearly £15m collaborative research and development fund aimed at both manufacturing and materials.Innovate UK has also provided over £70m funding to the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which includes some materials manufacturing and development research, for example materials research at the National Composite Centre (composites and plastics), the Advanced Forming Research Centre (powder metallurgy), the Manufacturing Technology Centre (Additive Layer Manufacturing) and Centre For Process Innovation (polymer research).The Henry Royce Institute has a work stream in Advanced Materials Processing, and will seek to coordinate the infrastructure supporting UK-based advanced materials research providing national capability.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to secure the jobs of employees of HM Land Registry if its transition to the Government's preferred contract-based privatisation model goes ahead.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these response to help inform a Government decision, but no decision has yet been made.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications of the EU referendum result for his plans to agree and implement the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. We continue to support the EU’s trade agenda and the UK will participate constructively in EU decision making on trade issues. We are taking stock of our position with regard to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether parliamentary approval is required for implementation of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Anna Soubry: While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. We continue to support the EU’s trade agenda and the UK will participate constructively in EU decision making on trade issues. The Government considers that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a “mixed agreement” consisting of both EU and Member State competence. Provided the European Council agrees, this means that CETA can only take full effect once the UK has decided to ratify it. As part of that ratification process, the complete draft text of the agreement would be laid before Parliament for 21 sitting days. In addition, the Government will ensure the proposals for a Council decision on signature, and subsequently conclusion, will be subject to scrutiny in both houses of the UK Parliament.

Land Registry: Privatisation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria his Department plans to use to decide which companies may place bids for the Land Registry.

Anna Soubry: A Government consultation seeking views on options to move Land Registry operations to the private sector closed on 26 May. My department is analysing these response to help inform a Government decision. No decision has been taken on the future of Land Registry.

Trade Agreements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of free trade and other agreements which the UK will need to renegotiate as a result of the outcome of the EU referendum and (b) the resources which will be required to renegotiate such agreements.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on the Government's ability to negotiate trade agreements.

Anna Soubry: The Cabinet Office has established a new unit to oversee arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU, after we have triggered Article 50. Until then, the UK remains a full member of the EU. The Government is reviewing trade policy, although the direction of future UK trade policy would be a matter for the new administration to consider once a new Prime Minister has been appointed.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2016 to Question 39812, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have benefited from the UK Aid strategy to date.

Mr Nick Hurd: In the first year of the commitment made in the UK Aid strategy, the Department for International Development have helped 11.3 million people get access to clean water and sanitation.

Department for Education

Schools: Admissions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release of the Department for Education of 4 January 2016, entitled Parents to get greater say in the school admissions process, what assessment she has made of the potential effect that ensuring only local parents and councils can object to school admissions arrangements will have on overall levels of compliance with the School Admissions Code.

Nick Gibb: Our proposed changes are intended to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on the concerns parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school, and is not held up by the need to consider objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.We do not believe that limiting who is able to refer objections to the Adjudicator will have a detrimental impact.Any changes will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Arts: Secondary Education

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the take-up of creative subjects in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government believes that every child should experience a high quality education throughout their time at school including in creative subjects such as music, art and design. All state-funded schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society.In maintained schools music and art and design are compulsory subjects within the national curriculum for 5-14 year olds. Maintained schools are also required to teach their pupils dance, as part of the PE curriculum for 5-14 year olds and drama, as part of the English curriculum for 5-16 year olds.We have reformed GCSEs to make them more rigorous and to match expectations in the highest performing jurisdictions around the world. Since the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) was first introduced the proportion of pupils in state-funded schools taking at least one GCSE in an arts subject has increased, rising from 46 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2015. From September 2016, schools will be teaching new gold standard GCSEs in music, dance, drama and art and design and new AS and A levels in music, dance and drama and theatre.Between 2012-16, the Department invested over £460 million in a diverse portfolio of arts and music education programmes that are designed to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background, and to develop talent across the country.

Work Experience

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to provide work experience opportunities to people in full-time education.

Nick Boles: We want young people to have opportunities to engage with employers and the world of work throughout their education. This should be an age appropriate approach which begins with work discovery activities in primary school.We recognise that older children will benefit from an increasing range of employer interventions including inspiring talks, mentoring and work experience. That is why the employer-led Careers & Enterprise Company is increasing the level of employer input into schools and colleges. For example, by rolling out its Enterprise Adviser Network, which works closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships to connect employees from firms of all sizes to schools through a network of volunteer enterprise advisers drawn from business.We want more young people to have the opportunity to take part in high quality work experience that helps to prepare them for the workplace and develop the employability skills that employers require. Work experience and work placements should be an integral part of most students’ 16-19 study programmes.

Schools: Standards

Mr Alan Mak: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school standards in England match those of the best international competitors.

Nick Gibb: In 2014 we introduced a new, ambitious national curriculum to match the best education systems in the world. We are also reforming GCSEs, A Levels and primary school assessment to represent a new gold standard which enables students to compete with their peers in the world’s best school systems. From summer 2017 the standard of a GCSE “good pass” will be in line with the average performance in high-performing countries.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average hourly earnings were of his Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Andrew Selous: There are multiple Terms and Conditions and multiple working patterns in operation at the MoJ. Providing an accurate and meaningful answer for both BME and non-BME employees would incur disproportionate costs. The Civil Service is changing, and our recruitment seeks to reflect the make-up and composition of our nation as a whole. Historically, BME staff were under-represented: both in terms of previous recruitment patterns and the number and proportion in higher grades, both of these factors have contributed to the differences in average salaries. We are making progress the proportion of BME staff in the Civil Service has risen from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2015, but we recognise that there is still more to do. In March, the Government published its 2016 Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service. It provides a progress update on initiatives to increase diversity in the Civil Service, including cross-Government talent programmes aimed at under-represented groups.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justice complies with all public procurement policy notes, published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-policy-notes. These include measures to support both British industry and British agriculture.

Drugs: Convictions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people aged 14 to 20 years old have been convicted of drug related offences in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: The number of offenders aged between 14 and 20 found guilty at all courts of indictable only or triable either way drug offences, as classified in Criminal Justice Statistics, in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2015, can be viewed in the table. The information below is a further breakdown of published data and can be located at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015. Offenders aged between 14 and 20 found guilty at all courts of drug offences(1), England and Wales, 2011 to 2015 (2)(3)  Outcome20112012201320142015  Found guilty13,71911,74810,5849,2078,395  (1) As per 'Drug offences' in the Offence group classifications athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015  (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Criminal Proceedings: Veterans

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) male and (b) female veterans there are in the criminal justice system.

Mike Penning: The National Offender Management Service has been collecting data on veterans entering prison since July 2015. This information is published on a quarterly basis, and the most recent data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519447/receptions-oct-dec-2015.xlsx Between July and December 2015, 1,439 former members of the armed forces entered prison. Of these, 1,399 were male and 40 were female.

Offences against Children

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adults convicted of child sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were placed on a rehabilitation programme as part of (a) custodial and (b) non-custodial sentences in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those rehabilitation programmes were completed by such adults in those years.

Andrew Selous: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost because it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to link offenders undergoing Sex Offender Treatment Programmes (SOTPs) to their particular offence. The number of accredited programmes started and completed by all sex-offenders, not specifically child sex offenders, is reported in the Accredited Programmes Annual Bulletin 2014/15, England and Wales, which is available at the link below. The report covers programmes delivered both in custody and the community. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/accredited-programmes-bulletin-2014-to-2015 For those SOTPs delivered in the community, completion rates for all offenders are included in the Management Information Addendum to the Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15, which is available at the link below. Completion rates have remained relatively stable at just over 80 per cent since 2010/11. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-performance-statistics-2014-to-2015

Prime Minister

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

Steve McCabe: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he opposed the provisional implementation of the proposed EU-Canada trade agreement at the EU Council on 28 and 29 June 2016.

Mr David Cameron: No. The UK supports this EU-Canada agreement. The President of the European Commission updated the European Council on ongoing trade negotiations. A comprehensive discussion by the Council on trade will take place at the forthcoming October meeting as set out in the European Council Conclusions, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

Department for Work and Pensions

Low Incomes: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what change there has been in the proportion of (a) pensioners and (b) children living in low income households in the North East of England in the last 12 months.

Priti Patel: Estimates of (a) pensioners and (b) children living in low income households in the North East of England are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. These are calculated on a three-year average basis as single year estimates are too volatile from year to year.In the North East, the proportion of pensioners with incomes below 60% of median equivalised income, After Housing Costs, rose by 1ppt to 13% between 2011/12 – 2013/14 and 2012/13 – 2014/15, while the proportion of children with incomes below 60% of median equivalised income, Before Housing Costs, rose by 1ppt to 19% between 2011/12 – 2013/14 and 2012/13 – 2014/15.The government has also set out a new life chances approach that will include a set of indicators to measure progress in tackling the root causes of poverty such as worklessness, educational attainment and family stability.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department's purchasing policies support the Government's commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

Yemen: Cluster Munitions

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received representations from Amnesty International on photographs alleged to show UK-produced cluster munitions dropped in Yemen.

Michael Fallon: Amnesty International wrote to the Prime Minister on the 23 May, and to the Department on 3 June, on the alleged use of UK-produced BL-755 cluster munitions by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Ministry of Defence: Saudi Arabia

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training is provided to officials of his Department working on his Department's Saudi Armed Forces Programme and the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project on responding to whistleblowers from the private sector.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Philip Dunne) to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) on 5 November 2015 to Question 13794.



Ministry of Defence: Saudi Arabia
(Word Document, 14.44 KB)

Yemen: Military Intervention

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Europe of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 138WH, what assessments were last carried out on (a) whether the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen were targeting civilians and (b) respect for and compliance with international humanitarian law; and if he will place in the Library copies of documentation used in such assessments.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) analyses allegations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations arising from air strikes in Yemen conducted by the coalition. The MOD has not assessed that the coalition is deliberately targeting civilians.

Ministry of Defence: Saudi Arabia

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) of his Department's civilian staff based in the UK, (b) military personnel based in the UK, (c) of his Department's civilian staff based in Saudi Arabia and (d) military personnel based in Saudi Arabia were employed by the (i) Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project and (ii) Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project on 1 April in each of the last six years.

Michael Fallon: The number of civilian and military personnel based in the UK and Saudi Arabia who were employed by the Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project (SANGCOM) and the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) on 1 April in each of the last six years is shown in the table below. The Saudi Arabian Government reimburses the UK MOD for these staff costs and there is, therefore, no cost to the UK taxpayer. Manpower as at 1 April 2016SANGCOM ProjectMODSAPUK-based Civilian Staff273UK-based Military Staff031Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff3137Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff2068Manpower as at 1 April 2015  UK-based Civilian Staff271UK-based Military Staff035Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff3433Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff2061Manpower as at 1 April 2014  UK-based Civilian Staff169UK-based Military Staff042Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff2832Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff2050Manpower as at 1 April 2013  UK-based Civilian Staff169UK-based Military Staff044Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff2831Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff2146Manpower as at 1 April 2012  UK-based Civilian Staff169UK-based Military Staff044Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff2634Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff1948Manpower as at 1 April 2011  UK-based Civilian Staff175UK-based Military Staff046Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff2132Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff1960

Yemen: Cluster Munitions

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evidence he has received on the possible use of cluster munitions in Yemen by Saudi Arabia.

Michael Fallon: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have alerted us to their online reports on the use of cluster munitions in Yemen, which we are analysing.

Iran: Tanks

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the amount owed by the Government to the government of Iran for Chieftain tanks bought by that government but never delivered; and if he will take steps to return that amount to the government of Iran.

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to return the funds owed to the government of Iran for the purchase of Chieftain tanks through International Military Services which were never delivered.

Mr Philip Dunne: This matter is being handled by International Military Services Limited (IMS). Negotiations are commerically sensitive and a confidentital matter between IMS and the Iranians.The UK Government does not dispute the outcome of court hearings on this matter, but the current EU sanctions against the Iranian Ministry of Defence remain in force.

Iran: Tanks

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Chieftain tanks sold to the government of Iran but which remained undelivered were later sold to the government of Iraq.

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the use during the Iran-Iraq war of Chieftain tanks sold by the UK to the government of Iraq; and whether those tanks had previously been purchased by the government of Iran.

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether funds were received into the public purse from the sale of the same Chieftain tanks to Iraq which had already been sold through International Military Services but never delivered to the government of Iran.

Mr Philip Dunne: No records are held of Chieftain tanks being sold to the Government of Iraq.

Armed Forces: Iron and Steel

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of steel production to the resources of the armed forces.

Mr Philip Dunne: In the main, defence requirements for steel are sourced by our prime contractors taking into account cost, time and quality. The Ministry of Defence complies with Cabinet Office guidance on steel procurement and works closely with contractors to ensure supply of steel products.While defence steel requirements are relatively small, UK suppliers have already provided significant quantities of steel for our biggest defence procurement programmes. We are also positively encouraging bids from British companies to make sure they are in the best possible position to win future contracts.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be supported at BAE Systems in Samlesbury by the F-35 programme; and for how long those jobs will be supported.

Mr Philip Dunne: UK industry, as a whole, will build around 15 per cent by value of each of the more than 3,000 planned F-35s.We expect the F-35B Lightning II Programme to sustain thousands of jobs in the UK into the 2040s, with many companies involved in design, manufacture and support of the aircraft, including at BAE Systems in Samlesbury. These jobs will enable the UK to retain and continue to develop its leading edge technologies and manufacturing capabilities, making a significant contribution to the UK economy.

Home Office

Deportation: West Africa

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) detainees, (b) security guards and (c) independent witnesses were on board the deportation charter flight from Stansted Airport to West Africa on 24 May 2016.

James Brokenshire: Home Office records indicate that, on the 24th May charter to Nigeria & Ghana, 47 detainees were returned with 118 escorts. On this particular flight there were no independent observers.This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to announce the budget for the new Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority; and whether that budget will be expanded in comparison to that of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to reflect the wider remit and powers of the new body.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



The 2016-17 budget for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has been published on page 80 of the Main Supply Estimates 2016-17, which is available to the public. The GLA will receive increased funding to reflect its changing and broader functions and we remain committed to resourcing the GLA to ensure it can deliver on its purpose of protecting vulnerable and exploited workers.

Police: Cameras

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Metropolitan Police Service has made on piloting and evaluating the use by police officers of body-worn cameras; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Metropolitan Police Service, working with the College of Policing and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime conducted a trial last year.The published study ‘Police Camera Evidence: London’s cluster randomised control trials of 'Body Worn Video’ can be found on the College of Policing’s website at: http://www.college.police.uk/News/College-news/Documents/BWV%20report%20Nov%202015.pdf

Police: Bureaucracy

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the number of back office staff on the time spent on administrative duties by frontline police officers in (a) Avon and Somerset and (b) England.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



Ultimately decisions on the size, composition and deployment of a police force’s workforce are operational matters for individual chief constables, working with their democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners.The proportion of police officers in frontline roles in England and Wales increased from 89% in March 2010 to 92% in March 2015 and from 90% to 93% in Avon and Somerset in the same period. At the same time, the Government has slashed bureaucracy – worth up to 4.5 million hours a year – equivalent to over 2,100 police officers.

Immigration Act 2016

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend or give effect to the provisions in the Immigration Act 2016 in respect of (a) residential tenancies, (b) transfer of responsibility for unaccompanied children and (c) limitations on local authority support for people who have been refused asylum, adult migrant care leavers and other migrants.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library copies of any correspondence with Ministers of the Scottish Government since the passing of the Immigration Act 2016 relating to that Act.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Act 2016 received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016. Provisions in the Act that create a mechanism to transfer responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children from one local authority to another in England came into force on 31st May. Announcements about implementation of the other provisions mentioned and extensions to other parts of the UK will be made in due course once discussions with the Devolved Administrations have taken place. There has been no correspondence with Ministers of the Scottish Government relating to the Immigration Act 2016 since the Act received Royal Assent.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the tobacco industry on the Government's commitment to tackle the illicit trade in tobacco products.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

HM Treasury

Sanitary Protection: Taxation

Danny Kinahan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the £15 million tampon tax fund has been allocated in the UK.

Mr David Gauke: The Tampon Tax Fund supports women’s charities that are making a significant impact in the lives of women and girls in the UK, including health, wellbeing and education initiatives, and services for vulnerable women. The bids selected represent a range of different initiatives to benefit women across the whole of the UK. In total, 25 charities have been allocated funding so far. This includes £5.2 million of funding allocated to Comic Relief and Rosa, to disburse funding over the coming year to a range of grassroots women’s organisations across the UK, in recognition of the high number of applications received.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department for Energy and Climate Change: EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what EU directives related to her Department's responsibilities are awaiting transposition into UK law.

Amber Rudd: The following EU directives related to the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s responsibilities are awaiting transposition into UK law: Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and Council - amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.Directive (EU) 2015/2193 of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 November 2015 on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from medium combustion plants (Medium Combustion Plants Directive).Directive 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 12 June 2013 on safety of offshore oil and gas operations and amending Directive 2004/35/EC (Offshore Safety Directive) so far as it relates to Northern Ireland.Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom (Basic Safety Standards Directive).Council Directive 2014/87/Euratom of 8 July 2014 amending Directive 2009/71/Euratom establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations (Amendment to the Nuclear Safety Directive).

Department for Energy and Climate Change: EU Action

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which EU (a) legislative and (b) other proposals her Department is leading negotiations on for the Government in the Council of the EU.

Amber Rudd: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is currently leading on the following negotiations for the Government in the Council of the EU: Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning measures to safeguard the security of gas supply and repealing Regulation (EU) No 994/2010Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/87/EC to enhance cost-effective emission reductions and low-carbon investmentsProposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing an information exchange mechanism with regard to intergovernmental agreements and non-binding instruments between Member States and third countries in the field of energy and repealing Decision No 994/2012/EUProposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeProposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council setting a framework for energy labelling and repealing Directive 2010/30/EU.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support the Government plans to provide to communities in (a) West Cumbria and (b) Somerset (i) during and (ii) after the construction of new nuclear development in those areas.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



The Government aims to maximise the supply chain, skills and infrastructure opportunities from new nuclear development for host communities. DECC chairs fora in both West Cumbria and Somerset that bring together senior stakeholders, including local and central Government. During construction of a nuclear plant, local communities receive funding from the developer through a mechanism in the Development Consent Order. We also encourage communities to bid for Government funding to capitalise on new nuclear opportunities, such as the upcoming Growth Deal 3. In 2013 the Government announced a Community Benefit package for new nuclear host communities once a plant begins operating. This totals £1000 per megawatt of capacity for each year of the plant’s initial life.

Energy: Exports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assistance her Department provides to UK-based companies seeking to export energy and fuel; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



For electricity, the Government supports the development of interconnectors to other markets. These allow cross-border trade in electricity, determined by market prices. The GB system currently has 4GW of capacity, and in the Budget the Chancellor set out that it is in British consumers interests that this increases by at least 9GW. This will improve our security of supply, deliver significant benefits to consumers, and help integrate more low carbon generation into the system. On oil products, DECC policy is to secure a competitive market for suppliers by ensuring smarter regulation and addressing market distortions meaning UK companies - well established in the global oil markets - are freely able to export and import the fuels we need.

Electricity Generation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent progress has been made on her Department's market stabilisation Contract for Difference policy; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 04 July 2016



A number of stakeholders have suggested the concept of a market stabilising Contracts for Difference (CFD) for Pot 1 technologies. We have not yet decided whether to pursue any of the proposed options at this time. Our focus has been on delivering the next CFD Allocation Round by the end of 2016 which we announced at the Budget, with £290m for less established technologies. We will be making announcements in due course.

Climate Change

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of leaving the EU on the UK's ability to meet its climate change targets.

Amber Rudd: As my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, nothing will change overnight – the UK remains a member of the European Union and existing rules apply. This is the start of a long and complicated process and the Government will need to consider all factors carefully in implementing the decision of the British people. We have been clear that we are still committed to making sure consumers have secure, affordable and clean energy now and in the future

Biofuels

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the number of trees that have been felled to be used as biofuel or biomass in each of the last five years.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the number of trees that have been planted to be used in biofuel or biomass in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: In 2013/14, 4.51 million tonnes of woody biomass were used to generate electricity. 32% of this was from UK sources, 68% was imported. We do not hold data on the number of trees felled each year for use as biofuel, or the number of trees planted each year to be used as biofuel.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Cybercrime

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the amount lost to cyber fraud in the public sector in each year since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: We are unable to provide an estimate of the loss to cyber fraud in the public sector each year since 2010. We have considered the information available to us and do not have any data available to help inform such an estimate.

National Cyber Security Centre

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what powers the National Cyber Security Centre will have to ensure that key infrastructure providers act on the advice it gives.

Matthew Hancock: The National Cyber Security Centre will be a unified source of advice for business, including owners and providers of critical national infrastructure. The Centre will work with lead government departments and regulators who are responsible for ensuring that the risks against our critical national infrastructure are appropriately managed by those running it.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make arrangements for opposition party leaders or their nominated representatives to be granted advance sight of the conclusions of the Chilcot Report prior to that Report's publication.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office EU Unit

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the new EU Unit recruits people with an appropriate level of expertise.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Prime Minister has said that the unit will be staffed by the best and brightest from across the Civil Service. One of the tasks of the unit is to identify further requirements for expertise from outside the civil service and to begin the relevant recruitment and contracting processes.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that there is cross-party input into discussions with the devolved parliamentary bodies and administration in the process of negotiating the UK exit from the EU.

Mr Oliver Letwin: We must ensure that the interests of all parts of our United Kingdom are protected and advanced. As we prepare for a new negotiation with the European Union, we will fully involve the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive. The exact shape of these discussions will be determined by the next Prime Minister.

Voluntary Work: Prizes

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote the Prime Minister's Points of Light awards; and how much was spent (a) overall and (b) on staff costs related to the distribution of those awards in each year since their launch.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade: Departmental Responsibilities

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to establish a Department for Trade.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Prime Minister announced during his statement to the House on the 27th June, the Cabinet will create a new EU unit in Whitehall, which will bring together officials and policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that her Department's purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

George Eustice: The Department's purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service. In addition, in 2014 the government introduced the plan for public procurement of food and catering services and Defra has adopted the use of the ‘Balanced Scorecard’ approach to sourcing food which recognises factors like celebration of provenance, local food traditions and consumers’ connection to producers.

Bees: Diseases

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the increase in the rate of incidence of American foulbrood in bee hives.

George Eustice: Defra maintains regular contact with all UK devolved governments on incidence of bee pests and diseases. Coordinating our efforts across the UK ensures outbreaks are managed and appropriate controls are put in place, benefiting all UK bee populations. In January Defra agreed to use molecular sequencing to identify the strain of American Foulbrood within colonies from Northern Ireland. The results offered an additional inspection tool for Northern Ireland’s Bee Inspectors in their efforts to understand and control the disease.

Whales: South Atlantic

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the International Whaling Commission on Japan's resumption of whaling in the South Atlantic.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Slovenia in October 2016 related to Japan's resumption of its whaling programme in the South Atlantic.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government will be represented at ministerial level at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Slovenia in October 2016.

George Eustice: The UK Government raises its opposition to Japan’s continued whaling at every appropriate opportunity, including at meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Most recently, I raised the issue with the Japanese Fisheries Minister during an official visit to Japan. We will continue to work closely with countries opposing Japan’s programme of whaling in the build-up to the next IWC meeting in October this year, and will ensure that the UK’s strong opposition is reiterated. Parliamentary business permitting, the UK will again be represented at the Ministerial level, as has been the case at previous IWC meetings.

Biodiversity

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made in achieving and implementing the Aichi biodiversity targets.

Rory Stewart: Progress towards implementing and achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets is set out in the UK’s 5th National Report (www.cbd.int/doc/world/gb/gb-nr-05-en.pdf) to the Convention on Biological Diversity and in the 2015 report on the UK’s biodiversity indicators (http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4229), published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Department of Health

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015 on the proportion of blood cancer patients who visited their GP more than twice before being referred to secondary care for diagnosis; and what support and guidance his Department has provided to GPs to enable them to identify the symptoms of blood cancer.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015 on the proportion of blood cancer patients that understood the explanation given to them at diagnosis; and if he will take steps to increase support for such patients at the point of diagnosis.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to adapt the cancer recovery package and investigate new models of care for blood cancer patients who are (a) given treatment and (b) put on a watch and wait regime after diagnosis.

Jane Ellison: It is important that people with cancer have the best possible experience throughout their cancer pathway and are treated with dignity and respect. The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes – A Strategy for England 2015-2020 in July 2015, and identified a key priority of establishing patient experience as being on a par with clinical effectiveness and safety. In May 2016 the National Cancer Transformation Board published Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: Taking the Strategy Forward outlining the detailed steps being taken to make this a reality. In September 2015, the Government announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, including those with blood cancer, live well beyond cancer. In April 2016 NHS England published guidance for commissioners on commissioning and implementing the recovery package effectively. In order to continue to support general practitioners (GPs) to identify patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an updated suspected cancer referral guideline in June 2015. The guideline includes new recommendations for haematological cancers. NICE noted that more lives could be saved each year in England if GPs followed the new guideline, which encourages GPs to think of cancer sooner and lower the referral threshold. Following publication of the updated guideline, the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has worked in collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) on a programme of regional update events for GPs to promote the new guideline. RCGP and CRUK have also worked to develop three summary referral guidelines for GPs to enable them to adopt the guideline. These are available at: www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/learning-and-development-tools/nice-cancer-referral-guidelines

Cancer: Health Education

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of blood cancer and other cancers for which symptoms can be non-specific and have similarities to other benign conditions.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England’s (PHE) Be Clear on Cancer campaigns are designed to raise the public’s awareness of specific cancer symptoms, encourage people with those symptoms to go to the doctor and diagnose cancer at an earlier stage. These campaigns are delivered by PHE in partnership with the Department and NHS England. The decision on which cancers should be the focus of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns is informed by a steering group, whose members include primary and secondary care clinicians, and key voluntary sector organisations. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding which campaigns to develop and run, with one of the main criteria being the scope to save lives through earlier diagnosis and whether the cancer has a clear early sign or symptom that the general public can act upon should it arise. There are a number of cancers, including those for which symptoms can be non-specific, which are not covered by ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ specifically.

Dental Health

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK who had gum disease in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Information on gum disease is collected through snap shot surveys at 10 year intervals. Separate surveys are carried out for adults and children and the data in each is not comparable. The Health and Social Care Information Centre are able to provide data from the Adult Dental Health Survey 2009 and the Child Dental Health Survey 2013; these are available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/dentalsurveyfullreport09 and www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17137 respectively.The surveys cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland; they do not cover Scotland so United Kingdom figures are not available. These surveys provide numbers of adults (those aged 16 years and over) and children aged 15 years surveyed who exhibited symptoms of periodontal (gum) disease. The surveys showed that 108 adults out of a sample size of 6,430 and 40 children out of a sample size of 2,418 showed signs of gum disease.

Dental Health: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make laser treatment for chronic gum disease available on the NHS.

Alistair Burt: All clinically necessary dental treatment is available on the National Health Service and it is for a clinician to determine the best treatment option for a patient.

Drugs and Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people of each gender over the age of 50 have been treated for (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The number of people of each gender over the age of 50 who have been in drug or alcohol treatment for the last five years can be accessed in the following link: https://www.ndtms.net/Publications/AnnualReports.aspx Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring System

Health Professions: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will withdraw his proposal to replace bursaries for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals with student loans.

Ben Gummer: A 12-week public consultation, asking for views on how to successfully implement the reforms, closed on the 30 June 2016. The Government is currently considering submissions from interested parties to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

Prosthetics: Children

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the announcement in paragraph 1.97 of the March 2016 Budget, on funding for child prosthetics, (a) by what mechanisms people can access, (b) who is able to apply for, (c) what the criteria is for accessing, (d) how many people have received and (e) who is responsible for distributing such funding.

Alistair Burt: The Department is currently working on plans for how best to distribute the £1.5 million of funding for child prosthetics and will set out comprehensive details once the plans are finalised.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on continued access to emerging treatments for muscular dystrophy and other rare neuromuscular conditions.

George Freeman: Nothing will change overnight as a result of the European Union referendum decision. The United Kingdom remains a member of the EU until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. This could take up to two years or more if negotiations are extended. EU law continues to apply and ongoing compliance with EU law is considered important in facilitating orderly transition, for negotiating purposes, and to offer certainty in the meantime. As long as the UK is subject to EU law, the present arrangements remain in place.

General Practitioners

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans to implement the General Practice Forward View published by NHS England in April 2016.

Alistair Burt: NHS England and Health Education England are developing detailed plans to implement the 80-plus commitments set out in the General Practice Forward View. Key elements that will be launched in coming months will be the new practice resilience programme and the national development programme to support practices release capacity.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government has made on supporting women with perinatal mental health issues.

Alistair Burt: The Government is fully committed to improving perinatal mental health services. Following an announcement by the Prime Minister in January, we are investing an additional £365 million by 2021 to improve services so that women are able to access the right care, at the right time and close to home.

Lung Diseases

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people diagnosed with lung diseases.

George Freeman: Data on the number of people diagnosed with lung diseases in not available. However, the British Lung Foundation estimates that more than 12 million people in the United Kingdom are affected by lung disease, (of which eight million people have asthma, just over a million have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and more than 150,000 have interstitial lung disease.)

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how NHS England plans to ensure that implementation of the cancer strategy published by the Independent Cancer Taskforce in July 2015 includes sufficient provision for people with rarer cancers.

George Freeman: The independent Cancer Taskforce’s strategy recommends improvements across the cancer pathway for all cancers. Specific recommendations for rarer cancers include encouraging the establishment of national or regional multi-disciplinary teams for rarer cancers and commissioning all treatment services for rare cancers nationally.In addition, tackling the causes of rare diseases and cancer is the focal point of the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Mental Health Services

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve the provision of mental health services.

Alistair Burt: The Department accepted the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s recommendations to transform mental health services and will set out later this year how it is implementing them.The Department announced additional investment of £1 billion for mental health on top of the £1.4 billion for children and young people’s mental health.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on improving cancer survival rates.

Jane Ellison: Cancer survival rates are at a record high and we are on track to save an estimated 12,000 more lives a year for people diagnosed between 2011 and 2015. However, there is more to do, and NHS England is leading the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Cancer Taskforce to save a further 30,000 lives a year by 2020.

Blood: Contamination

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on payments for people affected by contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison: I have had a number of discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well-being and we are working together to facilitate the increased payments using the current scheme administrator.We both want these payments to be made as quickly as possible to people infected in Scotland, and across the UK.Officials in the Department and Scottish Government have been working together to facilitate the increased payments using the current payment scheme.